Planted in 1988, this cool, northeast-facing vineyard (benefiting from being in a rain shadow) was bought in a spur of the moment decision by cousins Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith MW (of Shaw & Smith in the Adelaide Hills) in 2011. This is fermented and matured in oak barrels, about 30% new, using a proportion of whole bunch fruit. Anne Krebiehl MW: Darker fruit, peony petal, Ceylon tea. Translucent and peppery, crunchy, fine tannin: a beautifully marginal Pinot. Justin Knock MW: Beguiling nose, maritime notes, fragrant spices, cumin, red fruits, layers of flavour. Everything is here and in balance. Wonderful. Dirceu Vianna Junior MW: Generous, expressive, ripe red and dark fruits and a hint of leafiness and spice. Elegant and combines lots of ripe juicy fruit with savoury complexity.
Plush, fleshy, juicy black cherry, plum and blackberry flavors show plenty of spice hints, including clove, cardamom, oregano and star anise, with savory accents of dried porcini, palo santo and malty Assam tea. There's a wonderful seamlessness and freshness to this red, lingering through on the long, epic finish. Drink now through 2036.
Very good Tassie pinot. Root spice and earthy forestry notes of dried porcini dashi, autumnal leaves and loganberry, set in relief against a swathe of darker cherry. The spiky whole bunch inclusion is evident across the finish reeling off a whiff of dill and mezcal, yet it is largely buried by the extract and density. This should age very well, as the record at this address attests. Drink or hold. Screw cap.
The 2022 Pinot Noir leads with cherries and sumac on the nose and a lithe undercurrent of star anise, licorice, red apples and even a hint of watermelon. The whole-bunch component of this wine contributes graphite and arnica, blood orange, Campari, orange peel and dried fennel seeds. The wine is spicy and agile and feels lighter in fruit weight than the 2021 that came before it. It's still a superb wine, just different.
Winery Notes
This wine is true to the Tolpuddle Vineyard Pinot Noir style: intensely aromatic, medium bodied with savoury spice notes, along with purity of varietal expression, fresh acidity and ripe tannins.
